Leslie Stephen was recognized during the Victorian Era, recognized for his conversion from Anglicanism as part of the movement towards Agnosticism throughout the period. Throughout the earlier part of his life, Stephen achieved academic success, before turning to journalism where he became a prolific writer involved with several key contributions. Stephen’s essay, “An Agnostic’s Apology,” addresses his renouncement of Anglicanism while justifying Agnosticism as a reasonable alternative.
Stephen was born 28 November, 1832, to Sir James Stephen and Jane Catherine, at their home, Kensington Gore, London. According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Stephen was born into an evangelical family, his mother related to the Clapham Sect, and was exposed to his family’s ideas of morality at a young age (Bell, para. 1). The Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era explains that due to his family’s involvement with social reform, Stephen met several important political figures in his childhood as well (Pattison 24). Stephen later attended several schools such as Eton’s College, King’s College, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge; despite this, though, Stephen received much of his education within his home life, and displayed much more enthusiasm in his learning at home (Bell para. 2). Nevertheless, Stephen did achieve success at Trinity Hall, finding it much more fitting than his previous schools; he graduated and became an honorary fellow, taking up a clerical role as a deacon, and working as a tutor for ten years at the school (Bell para 3-4).
Stephen’s renouncement of Anglicanism occurred in after a trip to American in 1862, where he began to question the “collection of contradictions and absurdities” (Pattison 24) he found with his religion, and instead turned to freethinking and writing as a way to express these concerns (Pattison 25). Stephen was far from the only one to experience such uncertainties in this period; much of this new mindset is linked with Charles Darwin who published The Origin of Species in 1858 theorizing on the ideas of “evolution and natural selection” (Schwarz 340) and later in 1871 The Descent of Man which openly contradicted the stories of the Bible. Due to the population “[experiencing] a deep transformation in the process of industrialization” (Schwarz 340), there was more room for topics of individuality, and Darwin had his chance to challenge the church. Movements such as this all contributed to Stephen—already endowed with a strong sense of morality—to voice his doubts, despite his religious position at Trinity Hall. Another figure and contemporary of Stephen who contributed to this foundation was Thomas Henry Huxley; Huxley saw Darwin’s work as a tool of opposition against Anglican Christianity and the flaws that he found within the popular religion (Ruse 231). In 1869 Huxley coined the term “agnosticism” (Everett 20) to establish those like himself who, while not outright willing to reject the fundamentals of religion, could not be certain of God’s existence. With the several different theories and new approaches emerging at the time, Huxley himself to have “a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble” (Huxley “Agnosticism,” 237), emphasizing the agnostic stance in both refusing to accept or reject the Christian notions offered. Stephen easily found agnosticism to be fitting to his own feelings and “quickly adopted [it] as his own” (Pattison 24); the recent work of Huxley presented Stephen the perfect platform to attach himself and his wavering faith.
In 1873, Stephen published an elaboration on his agnosticism in his collection of essays, Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking, where he based his arguments on Darwin's case and other similar cases (Pattison 24). Stephen addresses Darwin’s claims and the reaction they cause, asserting that regardless of how much accuracy they held, they were “destined to profoundly modify the future of current thought” (Stephen pg. Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking, 72), highlighting the new sorts of questions and topics this theory opened. Stephen approaches the topic hypothetically, neither showing acceptance nor rejection for Darwin’s arguments, resolving, “What possible difference does it make to me whether I am sprung from an ape or an angel? The one main fact is that somehow or other I am here” (76), displaying concern for facts pertaining to relevant issues, rather than intangible questions. Instead, Stephen uses the opportunity to address his issues with the current church; he brings up the negative attributes of being considered a Christian, and points out how it is a minority who benefits through this format (110-111). While Darwin never renounced his religion his works allow for a new type of thinking, that relies on logic and evidence; Stephen makes use of this trend to establish why the current church is corrupt and flawed, and why he adopts the label of Agnostic instead.
Three years later, Stephen published “An Agnostic’s Apology” in 1876, on a similar topic of his previous work, yet rather than build up reasons for his conversion, Stephen now offered arguments as to why such a conversion is justified. Stephen gives several points as to why Agnosticism is the only logical path, such as the inability to find satisfaction in blind faith, describing the Christian belief in resurrection after death as a “cutting piece of satire” (Stephen “An Agnostic’s Apology,” 392). He goes on to take an objective view on religion and states that for those not raised by it, Agnosticism would be “the only reasonable faith” (394). “An Agnostic’s Apology” works as a follow up to Stephen’s previous claims, addressing protests in reactions, stating that they are “unavailing” (391), and throughout the essay, explaining why his stance cannot be so easily challenged. The periodical in which the essay was published, Fortnightly Review, was related to reformist movements, and would be read by an audience of like-minded individuals who could also share in Stephen’s movement away from Anglicanism. To both supporters and protesters, Stephen presents his determination to his decision by establishing further points on why it is necessary to challenge the church.
From his childhood, Stephen was exposed to the notion of reform, and during the uncertain era of change that his world was undergoing, Stephen became a notable figure in the Agnostic movement. Darwin and Huxley allowed the opening by respectively popularizing individual and logical thought, and establishing a neutral position of neither Atheism nor Christianity. Given this chance, Stephen presented his own case in Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking on why he could no longer accept the church’s teachings as truth; “An Agnostic’s Apology” follows this claim to solidify that Stephen was confident in his renouncement and did not intend to relent. This leaves with the question of how far the influence of science may affect faith; with enough logical evidence, would Stephen convert to a full Atheist, or would the lingering question remain? DP/Engl387/Fall2014/UVic
Works Cited Bell, Alan. “Stephen, Sir Leslie.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Web. Accessed 29 10 2014.
Everett, Glenn. “Agnosticism, Atheism, and Free Thought.” Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 1. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 20-22. Print.
Pattison, Robert. “Stephen, Leslie.” Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 4. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 24-26. Print.
Ruse, Michael. “Huxley, Thomas Henry.” Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 2. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 229-231. Print.
Schwarz, Angela. “Darwin, Charles. Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 1. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 338-341. Print.
Stephen, Leslie. “An Agnostic’s Apology.” The Broadview Anthology of Victorian Prose. Ed. Mary Elizabeth Leighton and Lisa Surridge. Peterborough: Broadview Press. 391-397. Print.
Stephen, Leslie. Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking. London: Longman, Greens, and co., 1873. Web. Accessed 29 10 2014.
Stephen was born 28 November, 1832, to Sir James Stephen and Jane Catherine, at their home, Kensington Gore, London. According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Stephen was born into an evangelical family, his mother related to the Clapham Sect, and was exposed to his family’s ideas of morality at a young age (Bell, para. 1). The Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era explains that due to his family’s involvement with social reform, Stephen met several important political figures in his childhood as well (Pattison 24). Stephen later attended several schools such as Eton’s College, King’s College, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge; despite this, though, Stephen received much of his education within his home life, and displayed much more enthusiasm in his learning at home (Bell para. 2). Nevertheless, Stephen did achieve success at Trinity Hall, finding it much more fitting than his previous schools; he graduated and became an honorary fellow, taking up a clerical role as a deacon, and working as a tutor for ten years at the school (Bell para 3-4).
Stephen’s renouncement of Anglicanism occurred in after a trip to American in 1862, where he began to question the “collection of contradictions and absurdities” (Pattison 24) he found with his religion, and instead turned to freethinking and writing as a way to express these concerns (Pattison 25). Stephen was far from the only one to experience such uncertainties in this period; much of this new mindset is linked with Charles Darwin who published The Origin of Species in 1858 theorizing on the ideas of “evolution and natural selection” (Schwarz 340) and later in 1871 The Descent of Man which openly contradicted the stories of the Bible. Due to the population “[experiencing] a deep transformation in the process of industrialization” (Schwarz 340), there was more room for topics of individuality, and Darwin had his chance to challenge the church. Movements such as this all contributed to Stephen—already endowed with a strong sense of morality—to voice his doubts, despite his religious position at Trinity Hall. Another figure and contemporary of Stephen who contributed to this foundation was Thomas Henry Huxley; Huxley saw Darwin’s work as a tool of opposition against Anglican Christianity and the flaws that he found within the popular religion (Ruse 231). In 1869 Huxley coined the term “agnosticism” (Everett 20) to establish those like himself who, while not outright willing to reject the fundamentals of religion, could not be certain of God’s existence. With the several different theories and new approaches emerging at the time, Huxley himself to have “a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble” (Huxley “Agnosticism,” 237), emphasizing the agnostic stance in both refusing to accept or reject the Christian notions offered. Stephen easily found agnosticism to be fitting to his own feelings and “quickly adopted [it] as his own” (Pattison 24); the recent work of Huxley presented Stephen the perfect platform to attach himself and his wavering faith.
In 1873, Stephen published an elaboration on his agnosticism in his collection of essays, Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking, where he based his arguments on Darwin's case and other similar cases (Pattison 24). Stephen addresses Darwin’s claims and the reaction they cause, asserting that regardless of how much accuracy they held, they were “destined to profoundly modify the future of current thought” (Stephen pg. Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking, 72), highlighting the new sorts of questions and topics this theory opened. Stephen approaches the topic hypothetically, neither showing acceptance nor rejection for Darwin’s arguments, resolving, “What possible difference does it make to me whether I am sprung from an ape or an angel? The one main fact is that somehow or other I am here” (76), displaying concern for facts pertaining to relevant issues, rather than intangible questions. Instead, Stephen uses the opportunity to address his issues with the current church; he brings up the negative attributes of being considered a Christian, and points out how it is a minority who benefits through this format (110-111). While Darwin never renounced his religion his works allow for a new type of thinking, that relies on logic and evidence; Stephen makes use of this trend to establish why the current church is corrupt and flawed, and why he adopts the label of Agnostic instead.
Three years later, Stephen published “An Agnostic’s Apology” in 1876, on a similar topic of his previous work, yet rather than build up reasons for his conversion, Stephen now offered arguments as to why such a conversion is justified. Stephen gives several points as to why Agnosticism is the only logical path, such as the inability to find satisfaction in blind faith, describing the Christian belief in resurrection after death as a “cutting piece of satire” (Stephen “An Agnostic’s Apology,” 392). He goes on to take an objective view on religion and states that for those not raised by it, Agnosticism would be “the only reasonable faith” (394). “An Agnostic’s Apology” works as a follow up to Stephen’s previous claims, addressing protests in reactions, stating that they are “unavailing” (391), and throughout the essay, explaining why his stance cannot be so easily challenged. The periodical in which the essay was published, Fortnightly Review, was related to reformist movements, and would be read by an audience of like-minded individuals who could also share in Stephen’s movement away from Anglicanism. To both supporters and protesters, Stephen presents his determination to his decision by establishing further points on why it is necessary to challenge the church.
From his childhood, Stephen was exposed to the notion of reform, and during the uncertain era of change that his world was undergoing, Stephen became a notable figure in the Agnostic movement. Darwin and Huxley allowed the opening by respectively popularizing individual and logical thought, and establishing a neutral position of neither Atheism nor Christianity. Given this chance, Stephen presented his own case in Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking on why he could no longer accept the church’s teachings as truth; “An Agnostic’s Apology” follows this claim to solidify that Stephen was confident in his renouncement and did not intend to relent. This leaves with the question of how far the influence of science may affect faith; with enough logical evidence, would Stephen convert to a full Atheist, or would the lingering question remain?
DP/Engl387/Fall2014/UVic
Works Cited
Bell, Alan. “Stephen, Sir Leslie.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Web. Accessed 29 10 2014.
Everett, Glenn. “Agnosticism, Atheism, and Free Thought.” Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 1. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 20-22. Print.
Huxley, Thomas Henry. “Agnosticism.” Collected Essays. Vol. 9. London: Macmillan, 1893. Web. Accessed 29 10 2014.
Pattison, Robert. “Stephen, Leslie.” Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 4. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 24-26. Print.
Ruse, Michael. “Huxley, Thomas Henry.” Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 2. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 229-231. Print.
Schwarz, Angela. “Darwin, Charles. Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. Vol. 1. Danbury: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004. 338-341. Print.
Stephen, Leslie. “An Agnostic’s Apology.” The Broadview Anthology of Victorian Prose. Ed. Mary Elizabeth Leighton and Lisa Surridge. Peterborough: Broadview Press. 391-397. Print.
Stephen, Leslie. Essays on Free-thinking and Plain Speaking. London: Longman, Greens, and co., 1873. Web. Accessed 29 10 2014.